Labels for prescription containers must include certain required information according to Federal and State regulations. This required information typically substantially corresponds to SIG information. SIG is short for Signa (Latin) which means “written,” and this terminology is a remnant from the past when all prescriptions were handwritten and signed by the physician. SIG information refers to the information on the written prescription signed by the physician, which is (1) the name of the patient, (2) identification of the medicine, e.g., the name and strength of the medicine, and (3) brief instructions to the patient for taking the medicine.
In addition, pharmacies generally also include Purpose and Auxiliary information on the label. Purpose information is information that relates to why the medicine is taken—e.g., to reduce inflammation, for nausea, for pain, and the like. Auxiliary information involves information such as food interaction cautions, such as “Do Not Take With Dairy” in the case of tetracycline prescriptions, since tetracycline is made less effective when consumed with dairy.
SIG, Purpose, and Auxiliary information is information that is printed at the pharmacy at the time a prescription container is filled with specific prescription medicine for a specific patient. Currently, for economic and reliability reasons, pharmacies typically print prescription labels in black printing using either laser printers or direct thermal printers. While such printers are reliable and cost-effective, they limit the ability of the pharmacy to print any information or graphics in sharp detail; to print in color; or to do either inexpensively.
Accordingly, improvement is desired in the labeling of pharmaceutical containers. What is desired is a way to label pharmaceutical containers that enables bold, sharp, clear and inexpensive color printed information, such as color advertisements, to be included on prescription labels and that is compatible for subsequent printing by laser printers or thermal print heads at the pharmacy.